Troy Turk of Seattle communes with his husky, Jena, while waiting at the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic at Union Gospel Mission men's shelter in downtown Seattle.

Troy Turk of Seattle communes with his husky, Jena, while waiting at the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic at Union Gospel Mission men's shelter in downtown Seattle.

Photo: Mike Kane/P-I

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Dr. Larry King of Lien Animal Clinic in Seattle explains to C'zar Carter of Seattle what should be done for some swelling on his dog, Skipper, at the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic at the Union Gospel Mission men's shelter in downtown Seattle. less

Dr. Larry King of Lien Animal Clinic in Seattle explains to C'zar Carter of Seattle what should be done for some swelling on his dog, Skipper, at the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic at the Union Gospel Mission men's ... more

Photo: Mike Kane/P-I

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Dogs and cats comfort the homeless and others who 'don't have a lot'

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Just before Halloween, Urlina Nozlic sat in the basement of the Union Gospel Mission holding Pumpkin, an orange cat, on her lap.

Kiki and Brano sat quietly next to her in cat carriers.

"We have a special rapport," she said of the furry brood.

She has to. They all live in her car.

"It's a good thing I have a 1992 Buick LeSabre," she said.

It is Saturday afternoon, and Nozlic is waiting to see one of three veterinarians and an assistant who donate their time every other week to the furry friends of the homeless and the very poor.

In the basement of the Union Gospel Mission men's shelter in Pioneer Square in late October, a few people tell hard-luck stories -- and the comfort provided by the cats and dogs they clutch.

Near Nozlic and her cats sits a blind man holding the leash of a 13-year-old brown terrier.

Witton Rabon says Buster is the last of his litter. "He's a survivor," he says. And so it seems is Rabon.

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The dog, like the other animals, is quiet, resting his aging head on the floor at Rabon's feet.

There are those who volunteer at food banks to nourish people in need. And there are those, such as Dr. Stanley Coe, a retired veterinarian, who nourish the souls of people by volunteering to keep their best friends -- and sometimes only companions -- healthy.

"It seemed like there was a need to provide the service," said Coe, who has run the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic for 20 years. The pets "probably give some people a reason to live."

Nozlic said she would try to raise the money to care for her cats even if the clinic were not available.

"They're my friends," said Nozlic, who said she's been homeless since losing a job as a stagehand in March.

Upstairs in the mission, Eli, a 55-year-old woman who lives in a small, subsidized studio at the Yesler Terrace housing project, stood in line for free pet food and medication for her cat, Choo Chool. Eli, who did not reveal her last name to protect her privacy, is one of about 40 people who typically come to the clinic each Saturday.

Choo Chool means "tassel" in her native Bulgarian, Eli said. "When I first got him, he'd jump on the drapes and hang there."

She said she would have committed suicide if not for the clinic. "I suffer from chronic depression and fibromyalgia, which means I have constant muscle pains," she said. "My daughter won't have anything to do with me, so I'm alone."

Referring to her black and white pet, who she says is a "tuxedo cat," she said: "It's because of her that I have to get up and leave the house and take care of her. She seems to know when I'm sad."

Last year, the cat developed an infection in her eye and could no longer see. She said Coe, who used to be a co-owner of the Elliott Bay Animal Hospital, operated on Choo Chool for free at the hospital. These days the cat's eye has reopened and can see just fine.

The non-profit clinic, supported by donations and volunteers, was started by veterinarian C.W. "Bud" Doney in 1983 in the basement of what was then a Christian coffee shop and drop-in center. It was across the street from the mission at Second Avenue South and South Main Street, and Doney ran the center until he died of cancer in 1986.

"I read in the paper that his wife didn't think the clinic could keep going, so I called her up and said, 'Let's do lunch because we can probably figure something out,' " said Coe, who has kept the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic going ever since.

Among the 15 volunteers, mostly veterinarians, who keep the Doney Memorial Pet Clinic going is Don Rolf, who used to train dolphins and whales at Sea World. He has volunteered at the clinic for 20 years.

Twice a month, he drives to the shelter in Seattle from Centralia. Why does he do it?

"The bond between the people and the pets seems to be a comfort" to the owners, Rolf said. "I think maybe because they don't have a lot."